1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift lever device for operating a transmission of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an operation device for changing shift ranges set in an automatic transmission of a vehicle by operating automatic transmission of the vehicle from within the vehicle, there has been generally used a shift lever device which has a bar-shaped shift lever and which operates the automatic transmission by pivot-operating the shift lever.
Among such shift lever devices, there is a so-called straight-type shift lever device in which a shift lever is pivot-operated (linearly operated as seen from above) only about an axis whose direction corresponds substantially to the vehicle transverse direction. Other than the straight-type shift lever device, there is also provided a so-called gate-type shift lever device in which a shift lever is pivot-operated in a zigzag pattern about an axis which corresponds substantially to the vehicle transverse direction and about an axis which corresponds substantially to the vehicle longitudinal direction.
In this gate-type shift lever device, as described above, the shift lever is operated in a zigzag pattern. Thus the shift lever of the gate-type shift lever device can be operated for a longer distance as seen from above, in a range for disposing the shift lever device which range is as large as or shorter than that of the straight-type shift lever device, in which the shift lever is linearly operated as seen from above. Accordingly, an automatic transmission which uses the gate-type shift lever device has an advantage that more shift ranges can be set than in the automatic transmission which uses the straight-type shift lever device.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of an example of a housing 402 used in a gate-type shift lever device 400. The housing 402 is a molded product which is integrally molded from, for example, a synthetic resin material. The housing 402 is usually formed in a plate shape or in a box shape so as to open substantially toward the vehicle downward side. Further, the housing 402 is disposed between a driver""s seat and a front passenger""s seat such that a main surface thereof faces substantially in the vehicle upward direction. A shift hole 406, through which a bar-shaped shift lever 404 whose longitudinal direction is substantially along the vehicle vertical direction passes, is formed in the main surface of the housing 402. The shift hole 406 is a zigzag substantially along the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle transverse direction. The shift lever 404 moves in a zigzag pattern, as seen from above, within the shift hole 406. In FIG. 10, circles formed by solid lines or two-dot-chain lines indicate particular positions of the shift lever 404. Characters and numbers within the circles indicate shift ranges at respective positions. Arrows A through G which are indicated by the solid lines and which connect the circles indicate a locus of movement of the shift lever 404.
As shown in FIG. 10, in a case in which an automatic transmission is set to a parking range (which hereinafter is simply referred to as the xe2x80x9cP rangexe2x80x9d) in which driving wheels of the vehicle are locked, the shift lever 404 is positioned at a xe2x80x9cP positionxe2x80x9d at which xe2x80x9cPxe2x80x9d is shown within the circle. When the setting of the automatic transmission is changed from the P range to a reverse range (which hereinafter is simply referred to as the xe2x80x9cR rangexe2x80x9d) in which the driving wheels of the vehicle are rotated in reverse, the shift lever 404 is zigzag-moved along the arrow A shown in FIG. 10 to an xe2x80x9cR positionxe2x80x9d at which xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d is shown within the circle. When the setting of the automatic transmission is changed from the R range to a neutral range (which hereinafter is simply referred to as the xe2x80x9cN rangexe2x80x9d) in which the driving wheels of the vehicle become free, the shift lever 404 is moved along the arrow B shown in FIG. 10 to an xe2x80x9cN positionxe2x80x9d at which xe2x80x9cNxe2x80x9d is shown within the circle. As described above, when the setting of the automatic transmission is changed to a drive range (which hereinafter is simply referred to as the xe2x80x9cD rangexe2x80x9d) in which the driving wheels of the vehicle are rotated forward, a 4 range, a 3 range, a 2 range and a low range (which hereinafter is simply referred to as the xe2x80x9cL rangexe2x80x9d) in which ranges the driving wheels of the vehicle are rotated forward in transmission modes different from that of the D range, the shift lever 404 is moved along the arrows C, D, E, F and G to a xe2x80x9cD positionxe2x80x9d, a xe2x80x9c4 positionxe2x80x9d, a xe2x80x9c3 positionxe2x80x9d, a xe2x80x9c2 positionxe2x80x9d and an xe2x80x9cL positionxe2x80x9d at which positions characters corresponding to respective ranges are shown within the circles.
In the gate-type shift lever device 400 with the above-described structure, a mechanical microswitch 408 is provided at a back surface side of the housing 402. Movements of the shift lever 404 between the D position and the 4 position are detected by the microswitch 408. Further, another microswitch 410 is provided at the back surface side of the housing 402. Movements of the shift lever 404 between the 2 position and the L position are detected by the microswitch 410.
However, providing the microswiches 408 and 410 may cause a high manufacturing cost. The above-described shift lever device 400 needs to be further improved.
In view of the aforementioned facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a gate-type shift lever device with an inexpensive manufacturing cost.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shift lever device including a shift lever operable along first and second directions which are perpendicular to each other, the shift lever device switching shift ranges set in a transmission by operations of the shift lever, the operations including a first operation in which the shift lever is moved in the second direction from a predetermined position along the first direction and a second operation in which the shift lever is moved in a direction opposite to the direction of the first operation from a position which is displaced along the first direction from the predetermined position, and the shift lever device including: a movement body axially supported to be rotatable about a third direction which is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, the movement body having a first abutting portion which abuts the shift lever at a second direction side of the shift lever during the first operation, the movement body being rotated from an initial position to a first detection position by pressing force from the shift lever abutting the first abutting portion, the movement body having a second abutting portion which abuts the shift lever at a side thereof opposite the second direction side during the second operation, and the movement body being rotated to a second detection position, which is at a side of the initial position opposite from the first detection position, by pressing force from the shift lever abutting the second abutting portion; and a detector which detects presence of the movement body at the initial position, at the first detection position and at the second detection position.
In the shift lever device with the above-described structure, the shift range of the transmission of the vehicle is switched to a shift range corresponding to the position of the shift lever (shift position) by moving (shift-operating) the shift lever in the first and second directions, which are perpendicular to each other.
In the shift lever device of the present invention, when the shift lever is shift-operated from a predetermined position along the first direction to the second direction (that is, when the first operation is effected), the shift lever abuts the first abutting portion of the movement body and presses the first abutting portion in an operation direction thereof. The movement body receives pressing force from the shift lever at the first abutting portion and rotates in one direction about an axis whose direction is along a third direction, which is perpendicular to the first and the second directions, such that the movement body reaches, from the initial position, the first detection position. The movement of the movement body from the initial position to the first detection position is detected by the detector. Thus, it is detected that the first operation of the shift lever has been effected.
When the shift lever is shift-operated from a shift position along the first direction, which is different from the predetermined position of the first operation, along the second direction, specifically, in a direction opposite to the direction of the first operation (namely, when the second operation is effected), the shift lever abuts the second abutting portion of the movement body so as to press the second abutting portion in the operation direction thereof. The movement body receives pressing force from the shift lever at the second abutting portion and rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first operation such that the movement body moves to the second detection position, which is different from the initial position and the first detection position. The movement of the movement body to the second detection position is detected by the detector. Thus, it is detected that the second operation of the shift lever has been effected.
As described above, in the shift lever device of the present invention, whether or not the first operation is effected and whether or not the second operation is effected can be detected by one movement body and one detector. Thus costs for manufacturing and supplying parts can be reduced.
In the present invention, the first direction and the second direction may be linear directions, respectively. Also, the first direction may be a direction of rotation about an axis whose direction is along the second direction. Moreover, the second direction may be a direction of rotation about an axis whose direction is along the first direction.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, preferably, the shift lever device further includes a base mounted to a vehicle, which base supports the shift lever and axially supports the movement body substantially at a transverse direction center of the vehicle, wherein the movement body has the form of a plate whose thickness direction is along the third direction.
In the shift lever device with the above-described structure, the shift lever and the movement body are supported by the base. Here, the vehicle (automobile) includes so-called right-hand drive cars in which a steering device is provided at the right-hand side with respect to the vehicle transverse direction center and so-called left-hand drive cars in which the steering device is provided at the left-hand side with respect to the vehicle transverse direction center. If the second direction, which is a direction of pivot of the shift lever, is substantially the vehicle longitudinal direction, in most cases, the pivot directions of the first and the second operations of the shift lever in a right-hand drive car are opposite to the same in a left-hand drive car.
The movement body of the shift lever device of the present invention is supported at a central portion of the base along the first direction. If the movement body is turned over before being disposed on the base, positions of the first and second abutting portions are reversed with respect to an imaginary center line passing through the central portion of the base along the first direction. Thus, in a case in which the shift operation directions of the shift lever of the right-hand drive car are the reverse of the shift operation directions of the shift lever of the left-hand drive car with respect to the imaginary center line, the movement body can be reversed, the movement body can be used in either car, which contributes to a manufacturing cost reduction.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided A device for selecting shift ranges in a transmission in a vehicle, the device including a shift lever having opposite ends with one end connectable to the vehicle and at least the other end movable relative to the vehicle in a first direction and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, with operations of the shift lever selecting transmission shift ranges in the vehicle transmission, the operations including a first operation in which the shift lever is moved in the second direction from a position along the first direction; and a second operation in which the shift lever is moved opposite the second direction from a position spaced from said first direction; and a movement body axially supported along a third direction substantially perpendicular to both the first and second directions, and rotatable to an initial position, a first detection position, and a second detection position, with the first and second detection positions at opposite sides of the initial position, the movement body having first and second abutting portions, the first abutting portion abutting the shift lever at a second direction side of the shift lever during the first operation, which subjects the first abutting portion to pressing force and causes the movement body to rotate from the initial position to the first detection position, the second abutting portion abutting the shift lever at a side opposite said second direction side during the second operation, which subjects the second abutting portion to pressing force and causes the movement body to rotate to the second detection position; and a detector which detects whether the movement body has been rotated to the initial position, the first detection position, and the second detection position.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for receiving shift range selections for a vehicle transmission via a shift lever device, wherein the shift lever device includes a shift lever movable by a user for selecting a shift range, the method comprising the steps of (a) movably mounting a movement body at a position wherein shift lever movements abut the movement body, resulting in different positions of the movement body according to shift lever movements; (b) detecting the position of the movement body; and (c) interpreting the detected position of the movement body as a shift range selection.